Accra Hearts of Oak bankroller Togbe Afede XIV has questioned the decision by the National Sports Authority to close down the Accra Sports Stadium in favour of Christmas concerts at the expense of football.
The NSA served Accra Hearts of Oak, Accra Great Olympics and Accra Lions notices to vacate the Accra Sports Stadium for the Christmas jamborees since they fetch monies than football.
In a meeting with Hearts of Oak Board Members and the press, the former president of the National House of Chiefs said, “Somebody wakes up and suddenly closes a Sports Stadium for concerts. What kind of bad reasoning is this?
“Seriously, they closed our sports stadium to favour a concert to raise money to protect the stadium. Where is the logic here?”.
“And we sit down and do not complain, why are we running away from the truth? why? I mean this thing stinks! personally, it stinks and you must be ashamed that we close our stadium when the league is on, meanwhile, this edifice was primarily built for sports, in fact for football but they have closed it down to host a concert,” blasted the financier of Accra Hearts of Oak.
Born James Akpor in Ho, the 66-year-old shared his sadness on the decision to rent out the venue for concerts at the expense of football.
Togbe Afede XIV continued, “Everybody is happy, but it hurts, it hurts, as a Ghanaian it hurts not because of Hearts of Oak but why do we decide like we think upside down?
The Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State bemoaned journalists’ inability to speak out against the National Sports Authority’s decision to give the edifice out for musical concerts.
“And journalists, if there is anybody to be blamed it is more you because you are the one who must comment on this one but you all have kept quiet. How do we sit down to allow evil to conquer us? Why? Evils get done when old men stay silent”, added Togbe Afede XIV.
“How can you close a whole Stadium down? Now, they have messed up the pitch and the money they will make may not be enough to restore the pitch.
“Didn’t you see it? wasn’t it looking odd? or it didn’t look odd. Why did you keep quiet?”
He gave a message to Hearts of Oak fans concerning their recent rage about the state of the club.
“These are the things that Hearts of Oak supporters must focus on”, said the bankroller.
“We don’t own the pitch, that is true but that is the pitch we have. Why do you consistently deny us of our pitch? The judgement, I live to you”, added Togbe Afede XIV.
Hearts of Oak, Accra Great Olympics and Accra Lions have all played their recent home fixtures outside the Greater Accra Region with Phobia and Oly Dade choosing the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi while Accra Lions have been playing their games in Sogakope at the WAFA Park.
